


Moonstone Shards

by generic_username3



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Adora is depressed, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Catra gets to swear too, Everyone cries a lot lmao, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Not a lot though, Swearing, alternate ending sort of i guess?, horde prime is a bitch, just tasteful swearing, let Glimmer say fuck
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-18 10:20:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28865433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/generic_username3/pseuds/generic_username3
Summary: After rescuing Queen Glimmer from Horde Prime, Adora and her friends go back to rescue Catra. After almost failing the rescue mission, they finally manage to return to Etheria, in control and ready to combat the Horde clones back at home. But are all of them really in control? And more importantly, how long can they last until the Horde takes over completely?-Chapter 4 out 2/21 (updates weekly)-sorry about the shifting of update dates! It's been busy lately, but it'll be more consistent soon :)
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Adora/Glimmer (She-Ra), Bow/Glimmer (She-Ra)
Kudos: 7





	1. A Rescue Mission

Glimmer tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Giving up on any resemblance of rest, she got up and turned on the lights in her room. She looked down at her hands, alarmed to see that she was shaking violently. She knew what she had to do. 

Adora stirred in her sleep. Her doorway was blocked by a shadowy figure. She startled awake, surprised to see Glimmer? Standing there in her doorway?

“You gave me a scare.” She laughed it off, although in reality, she was more unnerved than she cared to admit. 

“S-sorry” Glimmer stammered. 

“Hey… what’s up?” Adora asked, concerned. 

“It’s just…” Glimmer paused, searching for words. “I know I didn’t give you a very good apology earlier, and I wanted to start over.”

“Glimmer, you don’t have to-”

“Yes. I do.” She said adamantly. “You deserve it.” Glimmer cleared her throat. “Adora. I’m so sorry. I know words won’t make everything better, but they’re a start. I should have listened to you. I’m sorry I ignored you, and I’m sorry I got paranoid about you and Bow planning without me. And I’m sorry about putting you all in danger. And most of all, I’m sorry for blaming you. I never should have done that and- “

“Glimmer.” Adora said softly, taking both of Glimmer’s hands into her own. 

“I forgive you. I really do.”

Glimmer looked up at her, confused. 

“But why?”

Adora smiled. 

“You are strong. And you made a mistake. If I said I hadn’t made mistakes, I’d most definitely be lying. Yes, what you did hurt me, but I know you’re changing.”

Glimmer’s eyes filled with tears as she and Adora embraced. Quietly, Adora beckoned for Glimmer to sit beside her on her bed. Glimmer walked over and slowly sat down, leaning her head on Adora’s shoulder. 

“Uh, Adora?” Bow knocked on the door to Adora’s room. “We’re here.”

Adora jerked awake, in the process waking Glimmer, who had slept beside her.

“Huh?” Glimmer asked groggily, still half asleep. Noticing where she was, Glimmer blushed a bright red.

“Oh, uh, sorry!” She stammered, getting up quickly. 

“No problem.” Adora blushed as well. 

“What was that about Bow?” Glimmer opened the door.

Bow raised his eyebrows.

“Oh shut up. We were just talking!” Glimmer said.

“Riiiight… Anyways, Entrapta and I managed to track Horde Prime’s ship and… we’re here.”

Adora peered out a nearby window in the ship. 

“How are we so close?! Bow, they’re gonna see us!!”

“No worries,” Bow responded. “Entrapta got the cloaking system back online. They have no idea we’re here.”

Glimmer and Adora breathed a sigh of relief in unison.

“So. What’s the plan?” Glimmer asked as she and Bow turned to Adora. Adora took a deep breath. 

“I’ll pretend to surrender as a distraction. Bow, you’ll sneak out with Glimmer and Entrapta. Glimmer is the only one who knows where Catra’s cell is, so she’ll find Catra. In the meantime, Bow and Entrapta hack into the ship. See if you can at least disable the walls of Catra’s cell. If possible, hijack the hivemind. Once the walls are disavled, Catra and Glimmer will escape. I’m taking on Horde Prime.”

“Adora!” Glimmer exclaimed. “That’s not safe! You can’t take him on all by yourself!” 

“Look, I can’t lose you or Catra again.”

Glimmer grabbed Adora’s hand.

“You won’t have to.” Glimmer said softly. 

“Just please let us help you.” Bow added.

Adora softened. “Fine. You two will contact me after the first phase of this plan when Entrapta and Catra are safe. We’ll meet and take him on together.”

Entrapta walked in.

“Hiiiii! No offense, but I may have been listening the whole time and I must say, hacking into a giant hivemind sounds like a plan I’d be down for.” 

She smiled and gave a thumbs up.

“Well,” Adora said. “Guess let’s go hack a hivemind.”

Adora stood at the door of the ship, trying to keep from trembling. She couldn’t help wishing she could have her friends near her. 

“Ready?” She heard Entrapta’s voice through the communication device in her ear. 

“Ready.” Bow, Glimmer, and Adora responded in unison. 

“Affirmative.” Entrapta replied, turning off the cloaking shield. Almost immediately, the ship was targeted by a tractor beam. As they were slowly being pulled towards Horde Prime’s colossal ship, Adora whispered,

“Remember, stay hidden at all costs. We don’t want them finding anyone other than me until absolutely necessary.”

Adora didn’t get a response, but she knew her friends understood. 

A bright light momentarily blinded Adora. 

“How… pathetic.” crooned Horde Prime. “Where are your friends?” His demeanor turned icy. 

“I come alone.” Adora monotoned.

Glimmer had briefly described Horde Prime, but Bow and Adora had sensed it would not be wise to press her for more info. He was far worse in person than Adora had expected. His bony visage and sharp, talon-like nails made her skin crawl. The very aura he exuded made her want to throw up. She fought to keep from doing so as he told his minions:

“Search the ship.”

Two Horde clones grabbed Adora and began leading her away from the docking bay. She closed her eyes, hoping beyond hope that her friends would remain safe. 

Glimmer, Bow, and Entrapta huddled together in a small, indetectable compartment in the ship, all eyes on a tiny movement sensor that Entrapta had created. As the movement sensor was triggered, they heard footsteps in the ship. Glimmer squeezed her eyes shut, trying not to hyperventilate. She felt Bow take her hand, silently comforting her. 

They waited in silence until the movement sensor stopped flashing. Bow slowly poked his head through the door of the compartment. 

“All clear.” he whispered to Entrapta and Glimmer. 

“Adora, we’re moving out now.” Glimmer said. 

“Okay.” She heard Adora whisper back through her earpiece. 

Glimmer, Bow, and Entrapta stepped out of the ship together. Glimmer looked around, surveying their surroundings.

“I think I know where we are. I’m going to go this way.” She pointed to the left.

“Okay.” Bow responded. “We’ll try to find the main processing unit. Stay safe.”

“Byeeee” Entrapta said as they parted ways. 

Almost as soon as her friends were out of sight, Glimmer’s heart started racing. Her throat felt like it was closing up as her mind flashed back to the time she had spent in Horde Prime’s prison. She began gasping for air, running through the halls, desperately, irrationally trying to escape. 

“Hey,” she heard Bow’s voice in her ear. “Are you okay?”

She took a deep breath. “Not really.”

“It’s all gonna be ok. We’ll grab Catra, get out of here, and then we can go home.”

Glimmer nodded, his words calming her.

“Okay.”

Adora looked around the vast corridor she was being led down. She had already lost her bearings in the labyrinth of hallways. Near the end of the hall, she saw a glowing green door. 

_ Hurry up,  _ she thought to herself, sensing that she might have to face Horde Prime alone. 

Bow followed Entrapta cautiously, his mind fixated on Glimmer. He was truly worried about her, but he also felt … anger towards her? He knew his feelings regarding the situation Glimmer had put them in were complex, but he also knew that now was not the time to deal with them. 

“This way!” Entrapta chirped, snapping him out of his trance. 

“Right. Okay.” he replied, pushing aside all thoughts of Glimmer.

After Bow’s words had helped her to work through her anxiety, Glimmer found it slightly easier to navigate the ship. She was still extremely nervous, but she could at least think rationally. Within just a few minutes, she stood in front of Catra’s cell. Something was wrong. Very wrong. Instead of the familiar Horde scum staring back at her, she found only an empty room. 

“Hey guys…” she began, when suddenly-

“I’ve found Catra.” Glimmer said in Adora’s ear. “I’ll meet you to face Horde Prime.” 

Adora noticed a lack of emotion in Glimmer’s voice, but didn’t give it a lot of attention as she had nearly reached the ominous green door. 

“Got it,” she whispered back softly. “Hurry.” 

“Oh, I will.” Glimmer responded. 

“Something’s not right.” Bow said to Entrapta, who had just finished opening the doors to the prison cells.

“What do you mean?” She asked. “According to my calculations, our plan has been going perfectly thus far.”

“Not with the plan, with Glimmer. She doesn’t sound right. We should go see if she’s okay.” 

“She’s probably just in mild shock. And besides, I just need a few more minutes before I can hack into the hive mind! Then we can go check on her, ok?” She turned back to the tech.

“Okay.” Bow said reluctantly.

A bright green light momentarily blinded Adora as the door opened before her. She blinked a few times, her eyes burning. 

“Catra?” She asked, confused. 

“Hey Adora.” Catra crooned. 

“But… you’re supposed to be with Glimmer! This isn’t…” 

“Glimmer? Oh but I am with Glimmer! We bask together in Horde Prime’s light.” Catra smiled chillingly. 

Adora’s heart dropped, now seeing clearly the green glow of Catra’s eyes and the chip implanted in her neck. 

“No! You don’t have her. You can’t.” 

“Oh Adora,” Catra said, circling her. “Sweet, naive Adora. Glimmer and I are happy now. You can be happy too. Just stay.” 

“Catra please! This isn’t you! You have to fight this!”

Catra leapt at Adora, claws extended. Adora dodged to the side defensively, but Catra was already right behind her, sinking her claws into Adora’s back. Adora screamed, not only in pain, but in terror. Through all their battles, Catra had never actually physically hurt her in a way that mattered. That was all different now.

Catra giggled coldly, a shadow of her former self. “If you don’t agree to join me in the light of Horde Prime, we may have to bring in reinforcements.”

“What?” Adora didn’t have time to process what that meant. 

The door burst open, revealing a green-eyed Glimmer.

“No…” Adora felt shattered. In her moment of distraction, Catra snuck up on her, gashing her face. Glimmer teleported over to where Catra and Adora stood, pinning Adora’s arms behind her with superhuman strength.

“Glimmer?! How did you-“

“Another example of the glory of Horde Prime. Now that Glimmer has joined us, she was able to reconnect with her magic through the followers of Horde Prime residing on Etheria.” Glimmer smiled coldly.

“Glimmer, please!” Adora’s voice broke in desperation.

Glimmer blinked. “A-Adora?”

“Yes! Glimmer, it’s me!”

Catra viciously slashed Adora across the face again as Glimmer rolled her neck, eyes rolling back into her skull. When she lifted her head to stare back at Adora, a white pupil glowed in the center of her eyes. Adora wiped aside the blood flowing from her wounds, blinding her. 

“These two are powerful.” Glimmer observed, her voice garbled and mixed with Horde Prime’s. “But then again, I suppose you already knew that, assuming you’re clever enough to choose your allies well.” 

“I didn’t choose them because they’re powerful, I chose them because they’re my friends and I love them.” Adora shook with anger within Glimmer's iron grip.

At the word love, both Catra and Glimmer froze. Adora felt Glimmer’s grip weaken. Taking the opportunity, she broke free and faced both Glimmer and Catra. 

“I want to go home.” they said in eerily perfect synchronization.

“Yes! We’re gonna go home. Both of you are going to be safe!” 

“Promise?” Catra growled, barely in control of her own mind.

“Of course!” Adora reassured, tears brimming in her eyes.

“Adora!” Bow yelled.

Adora whipped around to see Bow and Entrapta standing in the doorway of the chamber. 

The moment Glimmer noticed another presence in the room, sparks flew from the chip at the base of her neck and, yelping in pain, she stumbled backward off the edge of the platform they stood on. Adora watched in horror as the same thing happened to Catra almost directly afterward.

“No!” Without even thinking about it, Adora jumped off the edge after them.

“Adora!” Bow and Entrapta screamed after her, powerless to help. 

Adora opened her eyes, her head pounding, despite only being unconscious for a few seconds. Glimmer and Catra lay only a few feet from each other, both looking eerily beautiful in their stillness, like a painting. Despite their still calmness, Adora knew it was all wrong. Their hair was cut short in the image of Horde Prime, and they were faded and lifeless. Adora held them both close, tears streaming from her eyes. 

“Catra! Glimmer! Please wake up.” 

Slowly, Prime clones began appearing around them, seemingly materializing from out of the surrounding darkness. Adora felt her heart jump in her chest as her eyes began to glow a burning blue. She knew what she had to do.

“For the honor… of Grayskull!!”

Adora was no longer thinking. Her mind was blank. As her sword materialized in her hands, She-Ra gently picked up Glimmer and Catra’s limp bodies and placed them over her shoulder. She pointed her sword at the Horde clones around her and a jet of light beamed from the sword, splitting and slaying every clone around them. 

Suddenly, a rope appeared next to She-Ra. She looked up, seeing Bow, who had deployed one of his trick arrows. She-Ra grabbed the rope and climbed upwards, not bothering for Bow and Entrapta to hoist her up. 

“She-Ra’s back!!” Entrapta squealed.

“Yeah. She sure is.” Bow breathed. 

She-Ra paid no notice to either of them as she strode out of the room. For a moment, Bow and Entrapta looked at each other, then quickly followed in She-Ra’s footsteps. 

As they made their way back to the ship, Bow bit his fingernails anxiously. He wasn’t afraid of being attacked by clones; She-Ra would easily blast through them. He was worried for Catra and Glimmer. He couldn’t be sure from the angle they were slung over She-Ra’s shoulder, but they didn’t seem to be breathing.

Entrapta danced around She-Ra as they walked, observing her, and no doubt coming up with a scientific explanation for how she could have returned. Within just a few moments more, the group found their ship. 

“Uh Entrapta?” Bow asked. “How are we going to open the airlock?” 

“Get in the ship.” She-Ra commanded. 

Bow and Entrapta glanced at each other, then complied. Watching through the ship’s windows, Bow and Entrapta saw She-Ra cut a massive gash along the crease of the airlock door. She-Ra sprinted into the ship with Catra and Glimmer as the doors to the vacuum of space swung open. 

Entrapta, already at the control panel, maneuvered them out of Horde Prime’s ship with ease. She-Ra sunk to the floor, transforming back into Adora. She carefully laid Catra and Glimmer next to each other on the floor. She shuddered, sobs racking her body. Her friends looked so cold, in pure white uniforms, with their now short hair slicked back. They weren’t breathing. Adora had failed. 

Bow ran over to where Catra and Glimmer lay, looking at Adora in desperation. Adora clung to Glimmer’s lifeless body, pressing Glimmer’s forehead to her own whilst squeezing Catra’s hand tightly. 

Bow watched in amazement as Adora’s heart began to glow. The light spread to her entire body, then stretched to illuminate Catra and Glimmer. 

Glimmer took a shallow, rattling breath and slowly opened her eyes. 

“Adora?”


	2. Recovery

Adora smiled.

“Hey Glimmer”

Catra awakened as well and Adora held her in her arms. Catra looked around the room, confused. 

“Hey… Adora.”

“Catra!” Tears flooded Adora’s eyes, mixing with the blood on her face. She had not failed yet. 

“Brothers!” said a voice from the hallway of the ship. Adora and Bow jumped up, ready to fight. 

“Guys! Chill! It’s just Wrong Hordak.” 

All eyes turned to Entrapta.

“Who?” Bow asked incredulously. 

“Wrong Hordak. On Horde Prime’s ship, I was able to partially hack into the hivemind and the result was well… Wrong Hordak.”

“Wait but, how did you manage to sneak him on the ship without any of us realizing?” Adora asked, dumbfounded.

“Well, you were a bit preoccupied…” Entrapta pointed out.

“You know what, nevermind. I can’t deal with Wrongdak-“

“Wrong Hordak!” Entrapta interrupted.

Adora took a breath.

“Right. I can’t deal with Wrong Hordak right now. We need to get Catra and Glimmer to a place we’re they can rest and we can remove these chips.” 

Bow nodded and hoisted Glimmer over his shoulder. Adora gingerly scooped up Catra in her arms, brushing a lock of dark hair away from her face. 

“You’re gonna be okay. I’ve got you now.” She whispered. 

“You know, she probably can’t hear you.” Entrapta said matter-of-factly. 

“Entrapta!” Adora spun around, blushing a bright red. “I didn’t know you were… nevermind. Uh I’m gonna… go now.” Adora stammered. She turned around and jogged into the hallway following Bow, passing Wrong Hordak on the way. She and Bow entered a spare bedroom on the ship, and gently laid Glimmer and Catra down beside each other on the large bed. They looked so peaceful, but every so often, one of their faces would twitch into a grimace for a moment, revealing the torment within. 

Adora sat down on the side of the bed.

“I’m gonna sit here for a bit. You should probably go help Entrapta with the ship.” Adora said. 

Even though Bow knew Entrapta likely didn’t need any help whatsoever with the ship, he took the hint and quietly exited the room, leaving Adora alone with Catra, Glimmer, and her thoughts. 

Adora let out a deep sigh. She had gone through more in just a few hours than she felt she ever had before. She was completely drained. The cost of bringing back both Catra and Glimmer was a dull ache in her bones that not even She-Ra could withstand. She wanted to cry, but it seemed like she had already used all her tears. She hugged herself tight, trying to make herself numb, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that she had let Angella down. Above all, she had promised to keep Glimmer safe. And Catra, vicious, but apparently remorseful Catra. She should have rescued her from the Horde sooner. She focused for a moment, trying to bring She-Ra back. Maybe she could heal Glimmer and Catra even faster. 

Subconsciously, she slipped her hand into Catra’s and was shocked to feel her squeeze her hand. She knew it was probably just a reflex, but it was enough of a glimmer of hope for Adora. 

The Sword of Protection materialized in She-Ra’s hand as she grimaced. The transformation was taking its toll on her. However, as Catra’s grip relaxed, the sword seemed to glitch and vanished. Adora sighed in frustration and ripped her hand away from Catra’s. Immediately regretful, she stroked the top of Catra’s hand gently.

“I’m sorry.” She muttered.

Entrapta came stumbling into the room.

“Hey! Adora!”

Adora quickly stood, snapped out of her trance. 

“We gotta fix this fast.” Entrapta set a small box on the bed. 

“Fix what?” Adora asked, confused. 

“The chips!” Entrapta said. 

“Oh, um, of course.” Adora said. Somehow, she had almost forgotten that her friends' minds were still in the clutches of Horde Prime. 

“It’ll be a lot easier to do if they’re awake, so uh… would you mind?” Entrapta looked at Adora pointedly.

“Right. Yeah.” Adora slipped her hand into Catra’s and concentrated desperately. The sword materialized in her hand after just a few moments, and She-Ra stood, towering over Entrapta. 

“We’ll do Catra first, but we’ll have to hurry. If we wait too long… well, nevermind.”

She-Ra looked at Entrapta, concerned, but obliged her request. She pointed the Sword of Protection at her former best friend and worst enemy, and focused. 

A beam of light gathered at the point of the sword and transferred to Catra’s chest. As the light pulsed around her, Catra opened her eyes and took a deep breath. 

As soon as Catra had awoken, She-Ra transformed back into Adora, the ache in her bones worse than ever. She ignored the pain. 

“Catra, we’re going to help you.” She reassured Catra.

Catra sat up and scooted away from her and Entrapta. “What are you going to do?” Catra demanded, paranoid. 

“Eh, minor surgery.” Entrapta answered nonchalantly. 

“What?!” Catra shrieked.

Adora took Catra’s hand, instantly calming her.

“Relaxxxx” Entrapta said. “According to my calculations, as long as you and Glimmer are chipped, Horde Prime will be able to enter your minds, even though the chips are minimally damaged already from when he shocked you guys.”

“Adora,” Catra’s voice broke. “I’m going to be okay right? I’m not going to d-”

“No,” Adora cut her off. “You’ll be fine.” She squeezed Catra’s hand tightly. “I’ll be right here. The whole time.” 

Entrapta softened. “I’d never hurt you, Catra.” 

Catra looked up at the sincerity and tenderness in Entrapta’s eyes and nodded.

“Anyway!” Entrapta exclaimed. “Let’s get started, shall we?”

Entrapta began operating on the chip embedded in Catra’s skin. Every so often, Catra would wince in pain as sparks flew from the chip, prompting Adora to hold her hand even tighter. Out of nowhere, the chip let out a large surge of electricity, and Catra held her eyes closed for a full minute. Adora looked at Entrapta.

“Is she okay!?”

“She’ll be alright,” Entrapta soothed. “I’m nearly done.”

Catra’s eyes snapped open.

“Stop!” she yelled, standing up and yanking Entrapta with her. “Get off.” she hissed. 

“I’m so close!” Entrapta protested.

“I said get off!” Catra yelled, pushing Entrapta away.

Entrapta fell backwards, nearly hitting her head on the corner of the bed.

“Hey!” Adora caught Entrapta mid-fall and placed her back on her feet. “Catra, it’s gonna be okay. Entrapta’s almost finished.” Adora moved slowly. 

“Get away from me.” Catra hissed. “I’m not doing this anymore. I’m not her little experiment.” 

“She’s trying to help you! Catra, you have to. You’re putting us all at risk.” Adora shot back. Adora glanced back at Glimmer, who was still lying unconscious on the bed. 

Catra noticed Adora’s eyes and scoffed. 

“Oh, I see. So you’re worried about Sparkles.”

“I’m worried about you too! Can’t you see that?! It’s just we don’t have a lot of time, and the longer you resist, the more the both of you, Glimmer included, are hurting! So will you please just cooperate.”

Catra looked at Glimmer, Entrapta, then back at Adora. She didn’t say anything, but came to sit back down on the bed. She hadn’t sacrificed herself for Glimmer just to see the princess become another mindless Horde clone. Catra closed her eyes and let out a heavy sigh as Entrapta got back to work. 

Although it was painful, the chip was gone in just a few minutes. Catra rubbed her hand against the back of her neck, relieved to find nothing but her own familiar skin. She smiled, exhausted. 

“You should get some rest.” Entrapta said. 

“Yeah, um, I will.” Catra said, still in awe of how silent her mind was now that it was fully her own again.

“And Entrapta?” Catra said softly. “Thanks.”

“Anytime.” Entrapta smiled.

Catra slipped out of the room,keen to find an unoccupied bed and take a long nap.

“Alrighty.” Entrapta said brightly. “Glimmer’s turn!” 

Adora nodded, once again summoning the Sword of Protection. As she pointed the sword at Glimmer, her bones felt hollow, like she was about to break into pieces. She tried her best to power through, but it was difficult. Although it took significantly longer, she finally managed to awaken Glimmer. 

“Adora?” Glimmer opened her eyes, her head pounding.

“Glimmer.” Adora breathed, panting from the effort of waking her. 

Glimmer pulled her into a tight embrace.

“I missed you.”

“Me too.”

Their reunion was cut short when Glimmer recoiled, slapping a hand to the back of her neck. 

“Ow ow ow ow.” Glimmer flinched, feeling the cold metal embedded in her skin. 

Entrapta took action, pushing Adora out of the way as Glimmer’s eyes began fluctuating between Horde green and their regular enchanting purple. She began speaking in a garbled manner, a horrible mix of her words and Prime’s.

“We gotta get to work fast.” Entrapta blurted, legitimately concerned. 

Entrapta started operating on Glimmer’s neck, while Adora stood awkwardly and anxiously, watching intently. 

Adora didn’t speak, but rather tried to convey her thoughts.

_ Glimmer, I need you, now more than ever. You never listen to anyone one, not ever your own mother. Not even me. Now’s not the time to start listening to Horde Prime, of all people. Please come back to me. _

And just like that, Adora heard a soft clink as a tiny piece of metal dropped to the floor. Entrapta looked momentarily surprised, but shook it off quickly. 

“Amazing,” Entrapta breathed as Glimmer fell into Adora’s arms. 

Adora teared up. 

“I thought I’d lost you!”

“You can’t get rid of me that easily.” Glimmer muttered weakly, grinning. 

Entrapta smiled at them, then quickly left the room, likely to note her findings in a journal just as they noticed Bow standing in the doorframe, wringing his hands. 

“Get in here, idiot.” Glimmer said lovingly. 

Bow’s eyes began to water in earnest and he ran into the room to give Glimmer and Adora a massive hug. 

Catra sulked in her room, thinking. Although she wanted to sleep more than anything else in the world, she couldn’t get herself to drift off. 

What did they think of her? Certainly not good things. Sparkles must despise her. After all, she had effectively - Catra swallowed the lump in her throat - killed her mother, Queen Angella. She felt like going back to the Horde. The ignorant bliss of that horrible hive mind had to be better than the guilt burning deep within her chest.

As hard as it was, Catra tried to brush it off. The best thing she could do for all of them right now was to rest, so she could be of utmost service, and possibly earn the trust and forgiveness of those she had hurt most. 

Adora made her way around the ship’s makeshift kitchen, occasionally asking Wrong Hordak to fetch an ingredient or a measuring cup. According to Bow, Glimmer’s favorite food was a sort of steamed bun, traditional Brightmoon cuisine, and she was determined to make it right. Unfortunately, it wasn’t going well. Although the task did distract from the pain in her very bones, Adora had to admit that she wasn’t the best cook. She tasted the filling mixture she had made, flinching at the bitterness. 

“Need a hand?” Glimmer’s voice rang out from the doorway. 

“Glimmer! You should be resting! And besides, this was going to be a surprise.” 

“Eh, I’m not tired or anything.” Glimmer said dismissively, but Adora noticed how she leaned dependently on the side of the doorframe. 

“Here, let me help you.” Adora took Glimmer’s arm and walked her over to a bench by the kitchen table. Glimmer sat down reluctantly, then replied,

“Thanks. Now let me help you.” 

As they cooked together, remaking the filling and folding small buns, Adora couldn’t take her eyes off Glimmer. She was so relieved her friend was safe. Sneaking up behind Glimmer, she hugged her from behind, practically melting into her warm body. Glimmer giggled, leaned into the hug, and then turned her face around, lips inches from Adora’s. Adora’s heart sped up as she and Glimmer leaned into each other and then-

“Adora!” Bow, passing by, had noticed that one of the pots on the stove had started to boil over. Adora jumped up, startled. 

“Ah! Yes! Cooking!” She ran over to the stove and turned the heat down. 

“Looks about done. I’ll go get Catra and Entrapta and we can all eat together.” Adora left the room. 

Bow put a hand on Glimmer’s shoulder.

“How are you feeling?”

Glimmer looked at him, eyes wide. 

“Bow I- … It’s not what-” Glimmer’s voice trailed off. 

It didn’t take Adora long to find Entrapta. She had found the tech log library of the ship was having a ball. After reassuring Entrapta that yes, she and Glimmer had remembered to make miniature versions of the food for her, Adora headed to Catra’s room. 

Catra heard a knock on her door. 

“Go away.” She moaned, half asleep. 

“Catra! It’s me!” Adora yelled through the door. 

“I said go away!”  
“Food’s ready!”

“Not hungry.”

Adora opened the door. “What, so I’m not even worthy of a full sentence now?” Adora joked.

“No.” Catra said irritably.

“C’mon Catra, you gotta eat.”

“I’m not hungry.”

Adora said on the side of the bed, next to where Catra lay. 

“Catra, we both know that’s not true. What’s wrong?”

Catra let out a guttural laugh. “What’s wrong?! You wanna know what’s wrong?”

Catra got up and started pacing. “Hmmmm, let’s see, you ever think I might not want to have dinner with someone whose mother I killed?!”

“Catra…” Adora said warningly, as Catra’s voice rose. 

“No,” Catra hissed. “No, I don’t!”

“Catra, you can’t run from this.” Adora said simply.

“Look, I just want to stop causing nothing but pain. She probably doesn’t even want to see me.”

“Are you kidding? You saved her life! Of course she wants to see you. And besides, it’s not going to be easy no matter what. You can’t just expect her to just forgive you. But this is a start.” 

Catra gave a truly Mermista-worthy sarcastic sigh, then walked out of the door towards the ship’s dining quarters, leaving Adora alone in the room. 

Bow’s heart sank and he took his hand off of Glimmer’s shoulder. 

“Adora?” he asked her.

She blushed profusely, but didn’t respond. 

Bow’s heart shattered. He pushed his boiling emotions deep down inside himself. 

“That’s um… well that’s-” Bow struggled to find words, and was afraid Glimmer could sense his true feelings. Glimmer looked at him, puzzled, just as Adora and Catra walked in, both looking equally exhausted in their own way. 

Bow trailed behind them as they all walked to the dining quarters in awkward silence, feeling more and more like a third (fourth?) wheel to the three women. However, he set all his emotions aside, at least momentarily, when they entered the dining hall. It smelled heavenly. They all took a seat with Entrapta and Wrong Hordak. 

As they sat down to eat, finally beginning some conversation, Catra and Glimmer began to open up, talking and laughing. Conversation flowed surprisingly easily between them. It was strange sitting at a table with their former enemy, but they all talked and joked naturally, as though they’d been best friends for years. Although he was genuinely content in this moment, Bow couldn’t shake the feeling that Catra kept noticing his quick glances at Glimmer, who only had eyes for Adora. Adora, on the contrary, seemed especially fixated on none other than Catra. 

He shook his head. He was probably imagining things. And besides, now might soon become the only time he’d be happy with his friends in who knows how long. 


	3. Visions

Later, Catra tossed and turned. It had certainly been an interesting day. Dinner with Sparkles had gone far better than she expected, that much was a plus. She still felt horribly guilty, but it was better now that at least they were talking. 

That wasn’t really what was keeping her from the warm embrace of sleep though. Just before drifting off, she kept jerking back awake, a green glow burned behind her eyelids, shocking her back to consciousness. She shook her head, trying to clear it. She just wanted sleep, damn it. 

Finally, she decided to get up for a drink of water. Forcing herself from her warm bed, Catra sat on the side of it, rubbing her eyes. About to stand, she noticed a shadowy figure looming in her open doorway. She jumped, her heart racing. She distinctly remembered closing that door before going to bed. The figure made no move. Studying it more closely, Catra deciphered the outline of Sparkles, blocking the light from the hall. 

“Holy shit, was that really necessary?” Catra asked, panting hard. Glimmer didn’t respond. Instead, she opened her eyes and twin pupils of green light stared into Catra. 

“Whoa, you okay Sparkles?” Catra tried to maintain casualness whilst backing away slowly. Something was very off. She was far more terrified than she let on. This was not Glimmer. 

Glimmer hesitated for a moment, then turned away and began walking down the hallway. Catra hurried after her, worried. 

“Yo! Sparkles!” Catra poked her head out the doorway in the direction Glimmer had gone to see … nothing. That was impossible. It was a long corridor without any offshoots until the very end. Unless Glimmer had run or teleported… but she hadn’t heard footsteps, and the queen was no longer connected to her magic.

Catra shook her head. She was sleep deprived and traumatized. She was just seeing things. But still, she was unnerved. Catra shuddered. The chill she had felt when staring into those green eyes was very real. She was too tired, and wasn’t thinking straight enough to understand the implications of what she thought she might have seen. 

Catra stepped out of her room, feeling exposed and alone in the empty hallway. She tiptoed down the hall towards the ship’s kitchen. She grabbed a glass from a storage cabinet, and got some cool water from the kitchen sink. Catra gulped it down quickly, more dehydrated than she realized. She set the glass on the counter and noticed a flicker of movement in the corner of her eye. Catra whipped around, ready to fight. 

The glass shattered on the floor - she had accidentally knocked it over as she realized the movement was just her own reflection on a shiny glass window in the corner of the kitchen. She breathed a sigh of relief, then looked down at the shattered glass. 

“Great.” Catra began picking up the tiniest pieces first to make sure she wouldn’t miss any. Soon enough, only the largest glass shard, lying in the center of the floor remained. She picked it up carefully, staring at her own reflection. It was warped, distorted. She couldn’t even recognize herself. She ran her fingers through her shorter-than-normal hair. It was much shorter than she liked, but still long enough to hang annoyingly in her face if she didn’t pin it back. She brushed her bangs to the side and stared into her own eyes. To her alarm, they flashed green for just a moment.

Catra yelped, dropping the piece of glass and jumping back. She strode out of the room quickly, trying to keep herself from running, and ignoring the newly shattered glass on the floor. She headed to the bathroom, grabbing a pair of kitchen shears, the only scissors she could find. 

Adora jerked awake. What had just crashed? She listened intently, and just a few minutes later heard a yelp, followed by another, smaller crash and soft, quick footsteps. She got out of bed, curious to investigate the commotion. 

Adora first headed to where she had heard the crash, finding herself in the ship’s kitchen. Everything seemed normal, aside from some glass shards on the floor. She ignored them for now, making a mental note to clean up later, and followed the footsteps she had heard from before. They had been heading for a hall branching off the kitchen, but Adora didn’t know which door they had entered. Pausing to listen, Adora realized that she didn’t have to guess. 

Soft sobs emanated from the bathroom door. Adora crept towards it and knocked gently. 

“Hello?”

There was no response. The sobs stopped abruptly.

“Are you alright?”

Still no response. 

“I’m coming in, okay?” Adora said, worried.

She opened the door to see Catra, curled in a ball on the floor, hair clippings scattered around the room. 

“Catra, what’s wrong?” Adora whispered. Catra shuddered before speaking. 

“Everywhere I look, I see him. In Glimmer. In myself,” she motioned to the mirror. “Adora, I- … I think I’m going crazy.”

Adora sat down on the floor next to Catra and wrapped her arms around her. 

“You’re not going crazy. You’ve been through some traumatic stuff, ok? You can’t just bounce back from that kind of thing. It’s going to be difficult, but you have my full support. Anything you need me to do, I’m here for you.” 

Adora was sincere, but she couldn’t deny that having to offer these words to yet another person hurt. What she would give if only someone were to say the same thing to her. 

Catra nodded, wiping her eyes. 

“Can you just stay with me for a while?” 

Adora smiled. “I wouldn’t want to do anything else. In the meantime, let’s fix up that hair, alright?” Adora eyed Catra’s eccentric new hairstyle. 

“What’s wrong with it?” Catra asked.

“Nothing!” Adora backtracked. “It’s just a little difficult to cut your own hair, especially with kitchen shears.” She giggled as Catra studied herself in the mirror. 

“Yeah,” she laughed. “I may not have been the best hair stylist.” 

Glimmer woke up, yawning, despite getting a good night’s rest. She felt like she had run a marathon in her sleep. She pushed the odd feeling aside. Besides, she couldn’t expect a single night of rest to make up for all the sleep she had lost lately. She stretched lazily, kicking her feet out of bed and standing up. She had to grab the side of the nightstand for support, feeling alarmingly weak. 

Glimmer sighed, cursing the limitations of the human body. She took just a moment for her body to adjust to standing and walking before heading to the nearest bathroom to get ready for the day. The door was closed, but no one answered when she knocked, so she pushed the door open.

Catra and Adora sat on the floor together, leaning on each other, both fast asleep. They fit together perfectly, in total comfort, despite sitting on the cold hard tiles. 

Glimmer’s face burned. Her thoughts raced through her head, each telling her a thousand different things. Catra and Adora were like two puzzle pieces, designed for each other. She didn’t know what to do or how to do it, so she simply closed the door, careful not to wake them. She turned away from the door, looking down at her feet as tears welled in her eyes. 

“Well fuck.” 

She knew she was being selfish and she knew that a romance with Adora of all people should be the least of her concerns right now, but she felt undeniably hurt. It was more painful that it wasn’t even Adora’s fault. Why should Adora like her that way? What was she thinking? Of course Adora didn’t see her like that. Why even did she think about Adora like that? Their mission should be top priority. And besides, there was no real proof that Adora felt that way about Catra, right? 

Glimmer wasn’t stupid, she knew she was lying to herself. She noticed how Adora softened whenever she talked about Catra, how during last night’s dinner Catra had seemed captivating to Adora, and Glimmer just a distraction, despite what had happened between them when they were cooking. 

But if lying to herself felt so good, then surely it was ok, just for a little while. Without thinking about it, she found herself back at her room. She sighed, closed the door behind her, and sunk to the floor. She wasn’t sure whether it was physical or emotional pain that caused her collapse, and she didn’t care. She just wanted to stay like this for a while. 

Adora slowly came to consciousness, Catra’s warm body pressed against hers, just like when they were little and had to huddle together for comfort. She remembered one night after a tough training exercise, Catra had wordlessly curled up in her lap, and Adora had pet her hair gently. She remembered falling asleep to the gentle sound of Catra’s purring. She smiled. Catra was a source of warmth in the cold halls of the Horde.

After fixing the back of Catra’s new hairstyle last night, they had cuddled on the floor together, not talking, just enjoying each other’s company. No matter how long she had spent in Brightmoon, or space, or anywhere, Catra would always feel like home to her. 

Catra woke, looking at Adora with tired eyes.

“Good morning.” Adora laughed softly.

“Morning, idiot.” Catra mumbled. 

Catra and Adora stood up together, feeling relaxed in each other’s presence, and made their way to the kitchen. It was strange, seeing the kitchen clock read nine am, yet looking outside and being met with total blackness. The darkness though, was interrupted by a large bluish orb. Adora wordlessly pointed out the window, then spoke. 

“We’re almost home.”

“It’s… beautiful.” Catra breathed. She looked down, ashamed. “I can’t believe I tried to destroy it.”

Adora wasn’t sure what to say. She turned and started breakfast for them, as Catra continued looking out the window, eyes searching Etheria’s smooth surface. 

Bow entered the kitchen, immediately noticing Catra’s new hair, but deciding not to comment. He looked past her, seeing his home planet so close, yet still so far. His eyes teared up a bit.

“I never realized how much I missed it.”

Catra turned around. 

“Me either.”

Watching the planet grow closer and closer was an exciting, yet terrifying experience for Bow. He was frantic to get back home, but knew there would be problems to face when they got there. He wanted to sort out his feelings about the past events and about Glimmer, but sensed that there might not be time once they returned to Etheria. Speaking of Glimmer - where was she? She was never a notorious early riser, but it was almost 10 am now, and she usually liked being involved in whatever activities they were doing.

“Hey, where’s Glimmer?” He asked. 

“No clue,” Entrapta answered, walking in accompanied by Wrong Hordak. 

“I actually don’t know. Hm,” Adora said. “Has anyone seen her?”

Catra shook her head.

“I’m sure she’s fine.” Adora said. “Probably still sleeping.” she laughed. 

Bow didn’t say anything for a moment. Should he go check on her, or was he just being foolish? Would he just make things worse? 

“I’m gonna go check on her.”

He left before any of the others could respond. 

Glimmer heard a knock on her door. 

“Hello?” she forced her voice to sound cheery. 

“It’s me.” Bow’s familiar voice replied.

She sighed, got up from the floor, and opened the door. 

“What is it?” Bow stared into her red, tear-stained eyes. 

“A-are you okay?” He stuttered awkwardly. 

“Oh Bow,” Glimmer leaned into his arms and he hugged her tightly. “I’m so stupid.” She said dryly. 

“You’re not stupid.” 

“If you knew why I said that, you’d agree with me.” 

“I think I do know.” Bow paused. “I see the way you look at Adora… and the way Adora looks at Catra.”

Glimmer nodded slowly. 

“I know how you feel.” Bow said. What was he doing?! He was about to give himself away!

“You do?” 

Bow sighed. “Yeah… there is-” he paused. “ _ was _ this one girl I really liked. Loved, really. But she ended up being interested in someone else.”

Glimmer eyed Bow suspiciously.

“Are you…” Bow braced himself for the embarrassment of rejection. “talking about Perfuma?”

Out of complete shock more than anything else, Bow laughed out loud. 

Suddenly, Glimmer lunged at him, arms outstretched like she was about to attack him. Bow dodged.

“Glimmer, what the-”

Glimmer was not there when he turned to face her. Instead, he felt a sharp prick on the back of his neck, and the world went dark. 


End file.
